Dongguan's movie box office sales have been rising steadily these past few years. Dongguan box office receipts hit 596 million RMB in 2016, 754 million RMB in 2017, then 809 million RMB in 2018 setting yet a new record. It also ranks Dongguan's box office receipts firmly in third place for Guangdong Province and 15th in the country.

China's film market has seen unprecedented sales in 2018. Annual box office receipts of Chinese movies reached 60.695 billion RMB in 2018, 4.056 billion higher than 2017 and setting a new record.

Compared with Shenzhen's 2.266 billion RMB (first in Guangdong Province, third in the country) and Guangzhou's 2.223 billion RMB (second in Guangdong, fourth in the country), Dongguan’s 809 million RMB seems small. However, aside from the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone, all cities ranking higher than Dongguan are provincial capital cities.

There are more than 130 cinemas in Dongguan, with most residents living within 15 minutes of any cinema. The convenience of facilities and the cultivation of movie consumption habits have made the Dongguan film market one of the most active markets in China. Dongguan has also become a crucial market for major films.

In 2017, "Wolf Warrior 2" was a standout success, with box office receipts in Dongguan reaching 97.126 million RMB. However, in 2018, there were 13 films with Dongguan box office receipts exceeding 20 million RMB, versus 6 in 2017. Generally, Dongguanese movie tastes are consistent with national consensus. "Operation Red Sea" with sales of 48.639 million RMB became the 2018 box office champion in Dongguan, followed by "Dying to Survive" (45.585 million RMB) and "Detective Chinatown 2" (400.02 million RMB).

Based on box office sales, 2018 was a success for domestic films. Of the 13 films grossing more than 20 million RMB, 8 were domestic films with most maintaining a good reputation. This indicates that local Dongguanese are becoming more and more discerning in film choices.

(By Stefanie Tan and Sev Pischl)